


Behind the Mask

by uhmayzing



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - All Media Types
Genre: AU, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-02 19:17:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16793125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uhmayzing/pseuds/uhmayzing
Summary: AU. Trouble magnet detective Laura and unintentional super hero Carmilla.





	1. Holy Hufflepuff

Laura was a damn good detective. She prided herself on being one of the best detectives on the Silas police force. Through sheer determination and an unyielding sense of justice she managed to close every case she was ever assigned. All in her first year. Her superb (bordering on extreme) work ethic had earned her a fair amount of recognition with the local media. She made a name for herself around the department with her signature can do attitude and unyielding determination. Though most respected her passion and drive, there were those who found her off putting. Namely her surly, snarky, uber sarcastic (stupid attractive) neighbor. 

The annoying woman tended to fling equally annoying insults and nicknames Laura's way during every single one of their interactions. She sometimes wondered if Carmilla really had forgotten her name. She gave up on correcting the woman a long time ago. After nearly two years of being neighbors she'd written it off as a lost cause and started something of a war with the brunette. For every sarcastic little comment thrown Laura's way she shot one right back. The first time she did it Carmilla looked so shocked. Well, as shocked as Carmilla could ever look beyond her usual stony indifference or insufferable sarcasm. Laura had almost thought she broke her. When a slow Cheshire like grin crawled across the brunette's bright red lips Laura instinctively knew she should've tempered her outburst. Carmilla just made her so unbelievably livid.

From the first day Laura moved in she knew she wouldn't get along with her new neighbor. She could recall their first meeting with absolute clarity. She'd just finished unpacking her last box when the knock came at her door. Her first impression of Carmilla went something along the lines of ' _why is this extremely gorgeous woman at my door_ '. Laura wouldn't lie she might've been drooling just a little bit. The moment she saw what she now called the stupidest most annoying jerk face smirk of all Carmilla smirks a.k.a. Carmilla's sexy smirk, Laura just _knew_. She felt it like a punch to her gut. Like that feeling she got right before she solved a mystery. She knew she would not get along with her at all.

When the brunette proceeded to ' _lay some ground rules, cutie'_ regarding their new status as neighbors, Laura's initial awe faded into incredulity. She had the biggest urge to shut the door right in her smug face the moment Carmilla brought up her tendency for ' _late night rendezvous_ ' and their bedrooms being ' _separated by one appallingly thin wall'_. And that was after the other woman had gone into explicit detail regarding the particular types of music she wouldn't tolerate hearing. There was nothing wrong with grooving to some T-Swift! 

Instead of giving in to her murderous urges Laura had, in the most polite manner she could muster, thanked Carmilla for “welcoming” her to the building and attempted to shut her door. Signaling the end of their conversation.

A clunky combat boot hindered the action and she was forced to pull the door back open. Revealing Carmilla once again. Her smirk more devilish than before. She chastised Laura for being rude and the clear mocking tone of it grated on her last nerve. Causing her to explode on her completely infuriating and obnoxious neighbor. She only received a throaty chuckle in return and an, ' _anyone ever tell you how cute you are when you're angry, buttercup_ '. 

Over the first few weeks of being neighbors, in an act of pure defiance, Laura ignored every single one of Carmilla's “rules”. It was in the middle of belting out the chorus of _Blank Space_ that her hot water suddenly and unexpectedly shut off. The evil cackle she heard following her own surprised yelp confirmed the culprit was none other than Carmilla. 

Enraged, Laura immediately marched right on over to Carmilla’s apartment. The door was flung open before she even had a chance to angrily pound her fist on it, revealing her lazily grinning neighbor. Before the most annoying person on the entire planet could begin her sarcasm laced taunting Laura laid into her. Lecturing her in a loud and exasperated tone. It was near the very end of her rant that she noticed Carmilla’s strangely hazy gaze, caught those too dark eyes roving hungrily up and down her figure. Her towel clad and still wet from the shower figure. 

Her cheeks flushed when their eyes connected. Laura felt something like lava churning in the pit of her stomach and an odd stuttering beneath her chest. She wrote the feeling off as embarrassment and shoved it in a box. Labeled it ‘ _Do Not Open_ ’ and lost it somewhere in the dark recesses of her mind never to be found again. 

Carmilla’s playful ‘ _is this your idea of foreplay_ ’ had Laura’s embarrassment flicker to annoyance once again. She stormed away and to the safety of her apartment after throwing a final loathsome glare in the other woman’s direction.

Carmilla was literally the _Worst Neighbor Ever_. 

Her interactions with the slightly mysterious, unfairly beautiful, and entirely aggravating Carmilla Karnstein were old news. Familiar and maybe even a little comforting. She'd grown used to her neighbor's snarky greetings and horrid conversational skills. Sometimes Laura even laughed at something Carmilla said. Far away from the smug woman and quietly to herself, of course. She was even accustomed to the obviously sarcastic flirting. 

What Laura wasn't used to was not being able to get out of a dangerous situation. And she'd been in a lot of them. Yes, Laura was a damn great detective and her current case? It led her straight into one of her worst nightmares, falling to her doom from a hundred-story building and wondering why in the world her final doomy thoughts were focused on Carmilla. 

A split second after the thought entered her frantic brain she felt something like arms being wrapped around her. A soft yet muscled body molding against her. Caught sight of dark ringlets of hair the color of the night sky dancing around them, fluttering along a strong jaw and black painted lips. Traced an angular nose up to luminescent eyes. Laura couldn't tell whether the glowing eyes were amber or emerald. They seemed to dance and flicker in the fading sunlight. She found herself staring into those otherworldly eyes when it hit her. It hit her like she just ran straight into a brick wall. She was being rescued by a beautiful, leather catsuit wearing, masked woman. A beautiful, leather catsuit wearing, masked woman who could _fly_.

"Holy Hufflepuff!" It came out much more shrill than she intended. But... "Seriously _what the frilly hell is happening right now?!_ "

The woman arched a perfectly sculpted brow, her amber green eyes twinkling. "You fell and I caught you."

"You..." She was acutely aware of the way her eyes must look bulging out of their sockets. Maybe if the situation wasn't so outlandish and the woman wasn't so attractive Laura could manage to string together some semblance of rational thought. "I was _pushed_ off of a building and you caught me _mid air_!"

The second they landed safely atop an adjacent rooftop the masked woman took a step back, her brows furrowed. "Was saving your life a bad thing?"

"You can fly!" The words shot out like an accusation. Laura took a step forward, poked at the woman's shoulder and immediately regretted the action the second her finger met concrete. "Ow! Are you made out of adamantium?"

A flash of annoyance danced in her eyes as she watched Laura contemplate another useless poke. "Please don't do that. And no, I'm not an X-Men, Laura."

"That's... this is... again, I repeat, what the frilly hell? Who are you and how can you fly?"

The woman smiled a mysterious smile and Laura swore she'd seen it before. "Call me a concerned citizen."

"But-"

"One that happens to fly." She shrugged. The action causing her dark hair to flutter with the movement. "Amongst other things."

"Wait." Laura narrowed her eyes and took a step away from the other woman. "How do you know my name?"

Her amber green eyes shifted to the side before resettling on Laura. She gave another shrug, her smile faltering the barest hint. "Perks of having super powers."

"Or maybe you're a crazed superhuman stalker."

"Well," The masked woman took a deliberate step forward, fingers finding the softness of Laura's cheek and brushing a lock of hair behind her blushing ear. Glowing eyes devouring the light flush spread so prettily across her cheeks and the jolting pound of her pulse point. "I have to keep some of my secrets. Otherwise I'll lose my air of mystery," She tilted her head biting back a grin when Laura followed the action, mesmerized. Their lips were a breath away, recycled air soft and warm in the space between them. "Won't I?"

Without warning the woman stepped back, turned, and leapt off of the edge of the rooftop. In the time it took Laura to blink away the desire hued fog, the masked woman had flown away. A mere shadow in the distance.

"What in the _WHAT_?! Was she... flirting with me?" Laura's blush deepened and her insides felt squirmy. Yes, squirmy. As in weird and uneasy. Not like thousands of butterflies were fluttering around in there.

* * *

"Laura! Lady bro!" Kirsch enveloped her in one of his big teddy bear hugs the second he reached her. There were news vans and police cruisers everywhere. The moment she made her way down from the roof and exited the building she was swarmed by the press. If it weren’t for her fellow officers she wouldn’t have made it through the horde without some embarrassing snapshots of her overwhelmed face. Her boss commanded Laura check in with a medic before she was allowed to get back to work. Apparently the mysterious masked woman managed to incapacitate the suspect Laura spent months tracking down. All in the scant seconds between Laura being shoved off the roof and caught mid air.

"When that super sexy but way scary leather chick flew off with you everyone freaked! Danny and Mel have been trying to catch up with her for years but she’s usually only active at night and no one's really seen her super up close even though she's like always saving people around the city. She's supposed to have a bunch of superpowers. They even gave her a cool name.” He gestures widely with his hands. “The _Shadow_. Sounds like a real life superhero, right?"

When she first met Kirsch she'd written him off as some pea brained misogynistic muscle head. After getting to know him she realized he was a big harmless puppy. Fiercely loyal, optimistic, and affectionate in his own weird way. He was always there when she needed him and she couldn't have asked for a better partner. 

“So?” He nudged her with his elbow, eyes bright with childlike wonder. “Was she hotter up close?”

Laura flushed bright red at the inquiry and Kirsch smiled widely. “You totally thought she was a babe, huh?”

Just as she was about to answer someone cleared their throat. A strong, smooth voice cutting in. “Hey, Hollis.”

Both partners turned to the newcomer. Kirsch’s dopey love struck expression overshadowing the stunned admiration seeping across Laura’s features. Before them stood Danny Lawrence in all her Amazon like glory. The tall red head was seriously Laura’s greatest role model. She was the youngest to ever make detective at Silas PD and top of her class at the academy. Laura looked up to her and maybe even had the smallest of crushes on her even though they barely interacted. They’ve shared less than a handful of conversations. One of which consisted of Danny asking to borrow her stapler and Laura handing it over while bumbling through a response. Her face a blushing mess. Kirsch had teased her about the incident for almost a week despite the fact that he was even more useless under Danny’s attention.

“Way to snub a bro, D-Bear!” Kirsch pouted softly. His blue eyes twinkling with mirth and affection.

Danny offered him a polite and slightly annoyed smile. “Thought I told you not to call me that, _Wilson_.”

“Whoa!” He placed a hand over his heart, the wounded expression on his face made completely unconvincing by the goofy grin fighting to take hold. “Uncalled for.”

The red head rolled her eyes affectionately at him before resettling her attention on Laura who'd been watching the exchange with mild curiosity. Trying to determine when exactly the pair of them became so familiar with one another.

“Anyway,” Her gaze was soft and filled with genuine concern. “How’re you holding up, Hollis?”

Laura managed to squash down the butterflies in her stomach and the nervous lump in her throat enough to produce a response. “I’m, um, great. Awesome. Everything is… super cool.”

“Glad to hear it.” Danny gave her a bright smile and Laura swore time slowed. Yeah, maybe that crush wasn't so much of a little one and more of a gigantic _made her gape like a complete idiot_ kind of crush. “If you’re up to it I’d like to go over the incident with you. Any information you have could help us catch this woman.”

“You mean the _Shadow_?” Kirsch emphasized the title with his goofy flair. 

A deep frown took over Danny’s bright smile. Her gaze hardening at the sound of the name. She looked like a woman on a mission. One that seemed to move a step beyond professional. “That’s the name the press gave her. In our official files she’s referred to as Unknown Suspect and she has a long list of crimes she needs to answer for. The faster we can identify her the faster we can get this vigilante off the streets of Silas and prevent any more from popping up.” 

* * *

It was nearly two in the morning when Laura finally arrived home after a long and exhausting day. She spent over an hour with Danny discussing every detail of her brief encounter with the masked vigilante. She felt a little guilty for omitting the end of their conversation. For consciously leaving out the maybe flirting and the maybe almost kiss. She left Danny with the best description of the infamous _Shadow_ ever received. The vigilante was very elusive and meticulous. Not once had she let anyone get more than a glimpse of her. Danny’s working theory was that the woman must’ve been nearby during Laura’s unexpected free fall. Another hour was spent with Danny asking her if she’d seen anyone close to matching the vigilante’s description while Laura was chasing down her suspect. When she had no new information to give, Danny let her go with a bright smile and a promise to grab coffee sometime as a thank you. The idea had Laura’s head spinning. Coffee with her crush? She hoped Kirsch wouldn’t be too bent out of shape over it.

The next few hours after that were dedicated to piles upon piles of paperwork. Not only did she have to close out her case, her boss wanted her to file a report about her interaction with the masked woman. In spite of her best efforts Laura found herself having to revise her report a handful of times. Her descriptions of the vigilante tended to stray into ‘ _not safe for work_ ’ territory. There was a point where she simply stared off into space. Daydreaming about the woman in the tight leather cat suit. The way it hugged each and every curve. The way the woman’s glowing eyes trained on her, a hypnotizing swirl of bright amber and dark emerald. The way her dark, dark hair twinkled like starlight. Like it was eating the fading yellow rays of the sun and turning into shining diamonds. It’d almost been blinding yet Laura hadn't found the will to look away from the beauty.

In the middle of mooning over how smooth and sultry the vigilante’s voice was, like chocolate and silk, Kirsch managed to snap her out of her trance. Laura had blushed deeply at the knowing grin spread across his face. He thankfully hadn't teased her about the reason behind her behavior. Instead asking her if she wanted to grab a drink with him and a few of their colleagues. It was past ten by then and she was tired but she couldn’t refuse the puppy like excitement in his eyes or the chorus of her colleague’s begging her for the juicy details of her encounter.

The last thing she needed after a long and grueling day was a dose of her obnoxious neighbor. Usually Carmilla wasn't home that time of night but from the punk rock reverberating through Laura’s apartment apparently she was. She found it odd. In all the years they’d been neighbors Carmilla had never been home after midnight. The other woman’s apartment was usually deathly quiet until sometime around four in the morning. 

She often caught the other woman on her way out when she made it home early in the evenings just after sunset. For the first few months she had an inside joke running with her friends about Carmilla being a vampire. The woman was super pale, didn’t go out during the day, never came home with any sort of food or groceries, and had a string of women parading in and out of her apartment every week. And never the same women. Laura even looked her up in the police database just to make sure she didn’t have any priors or strange reports associated with her. 

The vampire theory was disproven when Laura bumped into Carmilla on the roof one particularly sunny morning. The detective often practiced her yoga exercises there. The brunette was sporting dark aviators, a ruffled white tank top, a pair of illegally short shorts, and black suspenders worn seemingly with the sole purpose of making the woman even more attractive. There was a fairly empty bottle of whiskey in her hand, a few nasty looking bruises along her collarbone and arms, and something that looked like dried blood smeared over her knuckles. When Laura expressed her concern Carmilla simply wrote her appearance off. Told the detective she’d gotten in a bar fight the previous night. The hollow note to her voice and lack of nickname had Laura suspicious. When she checked the database she didn’t find any mention of a bar fight involving her mysterious neighbor. But then again a lot of the time those things went unreported.

Tired and disgruntled Laura headed next door to attempt to get Carmilla to turn down the migraine inducing music. She was surprised it only took a few seconds of knocking and yelling before the music was turned down to a manageable level. There was a muffled curse and a crash sounding from somewhere in the apartment before Carmilla jerked open the door just enough to poke her head out.

“Sorry, cutie.”

Laura’s eyes narrowed in disbelief at the apology. Not once had Carmilla ever apologized for her behavior. At least, not with something even remotely close to sincerity. “And the reason you’re blasting _The Misfits_ at 2am is?”

Carmilla’s features tightened briefly and she shrugged. “Got carried away with my, uh, work out.”

The explanation kind of felt flat compared to all of their other interactions. It felt as though Carmilla was actually trying to get rid of her instead of annoy her into retaliation. As per their unspoken understanding. Laura’s suspicion doubled at the idea. “What-”

“Listen, cupcake.” There was a hint of a snarl at her lips, her dark brown eyes staring Laura down. The irritation was more than apparent in her tone. There was another strange sound emanating from the apartment that caused Carmilla to look over her shoulder. When her attention returned to Laura the brunette’s aggravation was made very clear by the bark in her voice. “I’m a little _busy_ right now so I would appreciate it if you could save the lecture for later.”

She shut the door in Laura’s face before anything more could be said. A scrunched nose joined Laura’s narrowed eyes. She was about to knock again when she heard something. The voice was quiet, barely audible and garbled; a low dangerous murmur that sounded very similar Carmilla’s throaty inflection. A strange growling noise and a loud thump followed and Laura chewed at her bottom lip. Battled with her inner curiosity. She stood there for a few minutes, contemplating whether or not she should investigate. Everything in her gut was screaming _yes_ and yet she found herself frozen in place. She wasn't sure when it might’ve happened or how but she respected Carmilla. Maybe even trusted her? Maybe even enough to call the woman a friend. The notion was confusing and confounding and Laura must’ve been really stuck in her head because the door was opening again.

Surprise flashed in Carmilla’s eyes. Eyes that Laura could’ve sworn were glowing. She blinked and it was gone. She found herself staring into Carmilla's deep, dark endless gaze. She shook her head and disregarded it as sleep depravation getting to her.

“Was there something else you wanted, sweetheart?”

Laura frowned. Soft honey eyes breaking away from Carmilla and settling on the floor. Her subconscious took in the other woman’s outfit. A niggling feeling settling in the back of her mind as she noted the skin tight leather pants and matching motorcycle jacket. “No. I… thanks. For being, um, accommodating.”

The second she saw the slow forming smirk, the moment that single perfect brow arched in amusement, Laura regretted dishing out the sentiment. She just knew whatever was going to come out of Carmilla’s mouth would completely obliterate the friendly feelings she’d been contemplating. 

“Well,” She gave Laura an extra appreciative once over. Took a step closer, her perfume invading the smaller woman’s senses. It was sharp and spicy and alluring. “I can be _very_ accommodating every now and then.”

The scent of her, the warmth rolling off of her, the bright white of her teeth against the dark red of her lips. It was dizzying, dazzling. Maddening in a way that was far from Laura’s usual reaction to the woman. She blamed the feeling on her crazy day. Refused to properly acknowledge her hammering heart or her abrupt alertness. She felt her eyes flutter, felt her breath hitch, felt her body spring into action. Her head clearing as she took a step back and away. Another and another and another until she was halfway to her apartment door. Laura squeaked something she thought sounded close to ‘ _well ok bye now_ ’ as she rushed inside her apartment and leaned heavily against the door. Her heart pounding even harder against her rib cage.

For the second time in the span of 24 hours Laura found herself at an absolute loss for what in the frilly hell just happened. 


	2. Weird Angry Flirting

For the past few days Laura had been having strange dreams. Dreams that rendered her sleep restless and sporadic. In those dreams she was chasing down the elusive masked vigilante. 

_Laura is running like a madwoman through the eerily deserted streets of Silas, the masked woman always just out of reach. She runs and runs and runs until the masked woman stops suddenly. Her face encased in shadow as she looks at Laura from over her shoulder. Those amber green eyes glow in the darkness and an amused smirk crawls languidly across her red painted lips._

_Laura finds herself frozen. Pinned to the spot by those luminescent eyes. Her breath feels caught in her lungs, a strange pounding pang stirring beneath her breast. For a single elongated moment they simply stare at one another. Their gazes locked unblinking until the masked woman speaks, her voice a silken playful purr. “This has been fun but the clock is ticking and I have somewhere to be.”_

_“Where?” She manages to wheeze out through her searing lungs. “Where are you going?”_

_The woman jumps effortlessly up onto the roof of a nearby building and stares down at Laura. Her glowing eyes no longer peering out from behind her mask. They’re darker, like a deep abyss so cavernous and unending. Two devouring black holes destroying everything in their path. They’re like a starless night sky blanketing the earth. “Can’t be late to the party.”_

_Her heart leaps and thrashes and forces her lips to part. Voice to work. Body to move. She rushes toward the roof, reaches the fire escape ladder and climbs. “Wait! Who are you?”_

_“Isn’t it obvious, buttercup?”_

_Then she’s falling falling falling into wakefulness._

Her eyes snapped open, her body buzzing, and her thoughts racing as she attempted to solve her mind’s riddle. She felt that niggling feeling at the back of her mind again. There was something familiar, something just out of Laura’s reach. She couldn't shake the feeling that she’d met the elusive vigilante somewhere. That she knew her.

It took over a week of the strange dreams, each becoming clearer and clearer in detail, before the puzzle pieces began to shift. Before they started fitting with ease and forming an image. Laura recalled the way the woman’s lips, painted black during their very first meeting on the rooftop, were a vibrant red in her dreams. Remembered the glow of her eyes fading to such a dark dark brown. The patchwork of clues mounted and mounted and the voice whispering at the back of her mind grew stronger. Louder. Until…

Laura was sitting in their city approved stakeout car when it hit her. She was working on her third cupcake of the day and sipping on some hot cocoa while Kirsch enjoyed his box of donuts next to her when the realization smacked her right in the face.

“ _Carmilla!_ ”

The name left her so suddenly and so loudly that the outburst caused Kirsch to choke on his donut. He recovered fairly quickly, his wide blue eyes scanning the streets around them. An uneasy note to his voice. “Carm-sexy alert? Dude, where? Did she see me? Last time I ran into her she threatened to throw me over the staircase railing if I ever spoke to her again which, totally rude ‘cause I didn’t even call her angry hottie again. Not after she judo chopped me into submission that first time.”

“She _what_?” Laura momentarily forgot the reasoning behind her outburst at Kirsch’s rambling. He'd never told her that Carmilla threatened him. She was so going to have words with that arrogant, condescending, sarcastic, cruel, heartless, raging b… _bad person_.

“It’s chill, bro.” His face lit up in a placating grin. “I know you guys have this weird angry flirting with the hot neighbor lady thing going on and she wouldn’t really toss me down the elevator shaft or bludgeon me with the dumbbells I overuse to compensate for my lack wit personality.” His smile faltered. “She wouldn’t, right?”

Laura gaped at him, her anger rising to new heights. How could Carmilla even think there was any way in Hell or Hogwarts she would allow her to get away with not only insulting but also threatening her friends? And furthermore... Wait, hold on. Did Kirsch just say...? "Carmilla and I don't _flirt_! There is a complete absence of _flirting_ between us especially not of the weird or angry variety. I mean, what does that kind of flirting even look like? And I do _not_ think Carmilla of all people is hot!"

Her partner blinked at her. Once. Twice. Thrice? Before erupting into laughter. "Dude, that's the best joke I've heard in a while and the other day D-Bear was telling me this one about a cowboy and-"

"I'm serious!" She swatted at his bicep. "There's nothing going on with me and-"

"Isn't it far too early in the day for you to be shouting, cupcake?"

Laura yelped in surprise, head swiveling to face Carmilla. She was acutely aware of how close the woman was with her head bent to peer at the detectives through the car window. It was uncanny, Laura could see it then, how much Carmilla and the masked vigilante looked alike. How had she been so blind? 

" _Carmilla_." The name left her lips sounding like more of a curse than a greeting. "Kirsch here was telling me some very interesting things."

She arched a brow in response, dark gaze shifting away from Laura to bore into the man in question. "Was he now?"

Kirsch swallowed at the lump in his throat. "Y-Yeah. But like Laur knows it's just a little joshing between bros. Right?" 

"Of course." The words were languid and smooth, the hint of callous behind them not unnoticed by the tiny angry detective in front of her. Carmilla attempted to placate Laura with a smile that looked like it physically hurt her face. "Brody and I have become quite close. His former frat boy euphemisms and childlike sense of humor greatly amuse me."

"That's not my-"

"His name isn't Brody and you know it!" 

Carmilla merely rolled her eyes and leaned in closer. "Is it nearing that time of the month, Miss Tightly Wound? Or has it really been that long since you got laid? You seem much more irate than usual."

"What are you even doing on this side of town?" Laura fired back. Accepting the challenge and instinctually moving closer to Carmilla. "I thought the Lustig District was ' _made for snobby pretentious cretins who wouldn't know true art if it came to life and recited Cummings_ '."

"Well, no wonder I've run into _you_ here. And as loathe as you are to acknowledge I do have a life outside of being your _horrible mean_ neighbor." She smiled the kind of smile that could cut glass, all glinting razor sharp teeth, and stepped back. "Now if you'll excuse me I have matters to attend to." Her sharp gaze landed pointedly on Kirsch's donut and Laura's cupcake. "I'm sure there are more productive things you could be doing, Officers."

Laura barely choked down the urge to scream ' _we're detectives_ ' at the woman's retreating back. Instead choosing to cross her arms petulantly over her chest and kick the rubber floor mat. "If she knew we were on a stakeout she'd be eating her words."

"Laura?" He gave her a pointed look. "That's what weird angry flirting looks like."

Laura leaned her head against the dashboard with a frustrated groan.

* * *

After a few more hours their stakeout was proving to be a total bust. The information leading up to the assignment was legit, had been confirmed by the CI on Silas PD's payroll. Will Luce, a real slime ball of a career criminal, was supposed to be pulling a heist in the Lustig District. Specifically at the Lustig Museum, home to a plethora of invaluable artifacts dating back to over a millennia. They weren't able to get confirmation on which artifact(s) Luce was looking to steal. Just that he was going to pull his heist some time that week.

Luce wasn't known for his intellect or for keeping a low profile. He was one for the opulent lifestyle, preferring to live like a mobster right out of _The Sopranos._ Despite his terrible evasion skills and the wealth of evidence stacked against him Luce always managed to avoid justice. Not once had a jury convicted him guilty. The department knew he had to have someone with deep pockets securing his freedom. Although anytime a detective came close to discovering the identity of Luce's mystery benefactor they suddenly had an accident or were discredited and removed from the police force.

"Shifts up in half an hour." Kirsch yawned. "Stevens and Mendez should be here to relieve us soon."

Laura nodded absentmindedly, her gaze wandering the nearly deserted streets. The museum had shut its doors hours ago. Many of the restaurants, galleries, and vintage bookstores were in the process of doing the same. She hadn't seen Carmilla again and wondered, not for the first time, what the woman was up to. Laura hadn't been able to shake her suspicions about her obnoxious neighbor and masked rescuer being one in the same. It seemed entirely implausible and obvious at the same time.

"Whoa." Kirsch leaned forward in his seat, eyes narrowing to see in the distance. He tapped Laura without looking away. "Do you see that? On the roof?"

She followed his line of vision, barely making out the figure that seemed to be hovering above the Lustig Museum. A terrible churning started in her stomach, instincts on high alert. She knew in her gut that whatever was going on wasn't going to be good and they needed to stop it. From the reports on the masked woman, the ones Laura didn’t exactly have the clearance to read, she had the habit of saving innocents. The bad guys? They usually ended up in the hospital or the psychiatric ward. Laura was all for justice but the vigilante's brand of it went an entire leap too far in her opinion.

"We better call it in." Laura moved on autopilot. Grabbing a hold of the radio and requesting all nearby units on standby. She had a feeling things were about to get really messy.

* * *

“I am in no mood to deal with you, William.” The voice was strong and impatient. “Hand over the sword and run back to Mother.”

Laura motioned to Kirsch and they rushed to hide behind the next display, handguns at the ready. She could make out Will Luce’s smirking face from her position. Could see the oily way it widened as he tossed the object carelessly from hand to hand. It was clear he didn’t perceive his opponent to be much of a threat.

“Can’t do that, kitty. She wants the Sword of Hastur and what Mother wants,” His smirk shifted into a menacing sneer, his voice a low vicious hiss. “Mother gets.”

The moment Will lunged at the woman, Laura and Kirsch made a break for the next display. They had a better view from their new vantage point and what they saw had them both stifling a gasp. Will’s face had morphed into something that wasn’t quite human. His eyes were an iridescent red with elliptical pupils, his bared teeth sporting elongated fangs, and his skin scaled. He seemed to slither as they circled one another, his scaled skin rippling with an almost platinum color as he moved. Likewise, his opponent’s glowing amber green eyes seemed brighter and more ferocious than before. Her movements were more of a predatory prowl, a low growling noise coming from somewhere deep in her chest. 

“Have it your way,” She dashed forward in a blur, her arm raised. Her clawed fingers dug into his shoulder while her other hand landed a blow to his stomach. “Your brother was always the smarter one.”

“Not smart enough to escape Mother’s wrath.” He hissed and brought the pommel of the sword down, striking her heavily against the temple.

The blow was enough to force her backward. Her glowing eyes shifting between Will and the sword. “Last chance, Willy boy. We both know how this ends.”

“Big difference this time, _sis_. Now,” His gripped tightened around the hilt of the sword and he swung at her. Laughing when she barely managed to dodge. “I have something that can kill even you.”

She dodged strike after strike, gracefully spinning or jumping away. When she reached a display alarmingly close to where Laura and Kirsch were hiding her nose wrinkled. An exasperated growl left her as she smashed the display and grabbed a long colorful spear. Reared back and used her super speed to throw it at her opponent. She grinned in triumph when it hit its mark, sticking out of Will’s stomach and forcing him to his knees. It wouldn’t kill him but it would buy her some time.

She dashed over to the detectives’ hiding spot, a frown marring her pretty features. She spoke directly to Laura and completely ignored the wide-eyed man next to her. “You know, you really are a magnet for trouble.”

“Am I hallucinating this entire thing or did you just spear that guy?”

“I do enjoy our small talk.” The eerily Carmilla like smile was back. “Although, you two better get out of here before he recovers.”

Kirsch nodded frantically at the suggestion. “I think we should let the superhero handle this one, Laur.”

“Good call.” She winked at him and gestured toward the back exit. “You might want to tell your backup I’ve got it covered.”

Laura stood and reluctantly made her way toward the exit with Kirsch in tow. They barely made it a yard before Will was suddenly blocking their path. Blood covering his torn shirt, an oozing gash left where there should’ve been a gaping hole. “You’re gonna pay for that, kitty.” 

He grabbed a hold of Laura before any of them could move. Swatted Kirsch away when the detective attempted to rush him. “What do we have here? Is this that cute detective you saved?”

“Let her go, Will. This is between you and I.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” He caressed the side of Laura’s face with his free hand, his crimson eyes never straying from the masked woman. “The whole family saw it on the news, you know. She must be something special for you to expose yourself like that. Mother was _furious_.” He raked his venomous fangs against Laura’s neck, clearly enjoying the response it provoked from his sister. “After all, she won’t abide another Ell incident.”

Laura watched the other woman unravel. Watched her eyes change from worried to murderous like the flip of a switch. She could see the beast lurking just beneath the surface and for the first time she felt fear in the presence of the vigilante. 

The roar that sounded was more human in nature and less of a roar. More of a trade marked Kirsch battle cry as he brought the butt of his gun down as hard as he could against the back of Will’s head. The blow did little more than aggravate him. However it was enough of a distraction for the dark haired woman to shift into a huge black panther, tackle him, and slam him into the ground with her heavy paws pressing down on his chest. Sharp, dangerous claws digging into his flesh. Her entire body vibrating with rage, mouth opened wide and deadly teeth on display. His snake like visage started to fade under her choking weight, the glow in his eyes receding. 

“Don’t!” Laura visibly shivered when the giant black panther (seriously what in the frilly hell) looked up at her. “Please.”

The rage began to fade from her eyes, her snarl disappearing. The panther shrunk and shifted and reformed until the dark haired woman was kneeling before her. Sensing her hesitance Will used the moment to sink his teeth into her, injecting as much venom as he could before shifting into his serpent form and slithering away.

“Damn it!” She shook her injured hand, an irritated scowl on her face. The wound was already healing over and wouldn’t leave a scar although it would leave her with a hell of a cold for the next day or so. She moved to chase after her brother but found her super speed rendered useless. “That little shit!"

The masked woman turned her attention to where she last saw the sword and cursed her luck for the umpteenth time. “And who are you supposed to be?”

The man in the fitted suit studied the sword for a moment. He looked as though he could’ve been some important businessman on the cover of _Forbes Magazine_. Well, except for the high tech looking gas mask he was wearing. Though the mask distorted his voice they caught a hint of an accent. “William was right. Your mother gets what she wants.”

He pulled his other hand from his pocket to reveal a device. “You might want to start running.”

The second he pressed down on the button the room began to fill with a thick ominous green cloud. Laura felt a sturdy hand clasped around her arm, felt her legs propelling her forward and away from the vapor. Whatever it was it didn’t look friendly. The three of them managed to make it to the main hall. Kirsch a few yards ahead of them while the masked woman tugged Laura forward. 

With the exit in sight Laura heaved a sigh of relief. The sigh turned into a groan of pain when something suddenly side swiped her. Knocking her into the hard museum wall. In the next moment she felt the worst pain she ever felt in her life. Teeth sunk unto the flesh of her forearm past muscle all the way down to the bone. She screamed in agony. 

Will slithered away and shifted back into human form. A bloody grin at his lips. “We should do this sibling bonding thing more often, kitty.”

The dark haired woman ignored the taunt. Ran to Laura’s side and hefted her into her arms. From the bare weight in her arms she realized her abilities were returning to her and used her speed to rush them out of the building before the approaching gas could get to them. Once she made it to the front steps of the museum she propelled herself into the air. Mindless of the news crews and police cruisers surrounding the building. The only thought on her mind was getting Laura to the one person who could save her.

* * *

Laura didn’t know how long they were soaring through the air. Her vision was hazy at best and everything inside of her was screaming in agony. The only comfort was the steady heartbeat pressed against her, the cradle of arms around her. There was a soft thud and the wind stopped whooshing in her ear. Something that sounded like a doorbell.

“ _Oh!_ ” The voice was familiar, discernable by its frantic pitch. “Oh dear! Is that Laura? What are you doing with Laura? Is she unconscious?!”

“Will you cease your prattling and get me LaFontaine!”

Laura felt movement then warmth. She could smell vanilla and chocolate in the air. Felt herself leave the other woman’s arms and settle atop something soft. “Where are we?”

“Somewhere safe.” She took Laura’s arm gently, inspecting the wound.

Laura was starting to see spots. Her honey eyes landed upon the two angry red dots on her forearm. Trailed the surrounding bulging blackened veins, could literally see the venom seeping higher and higher with each passing second. It was enough to have her head spinning.

“Damn it. It’s spreading too fast.” She placed her hands to the sides of Laura’s cheeks. Tried to catch her heavy lidded eyes and steady their gazes. “This is going to hurt like hell but it’ll buy us some time.”

Laura nodded or she was pretty sure she did. She felt hands gently holding her arm again. Then a mouth pressed over the bite, warm and soft and sending involuntary shivers through her. The sensation did nothing to quell the immense pain she felt when the woman began to suck the venom out. She could hear herself screaming, could feel herself thrashing against the cushions. Her sight and hearing fading more and more. The last thing she could recall was Carmilla barking at someone to grab the anti venom and a lot of red. Pretty, pretty red hair. Just like… “Danny?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes. I know. Sucking the venom out of a snake bite doesn't actually work.


End file.
